Radnicki won its second Serbian Championship, the first one after 2021. In the third, decisive match of the final, Radnicki edged out Novi Beograd 14:13 in Kragujevac.
Radnicki had a 12:6 lead early in the third period, but Novi Beograd managed to equalize at 12:12. In a thrilling finish , Radnicki secured a narrow but valuable victory. As the game came to an end, tensions increased significantly. After the final buzzer, some players exchanged pushes and punches in the water, but the situation was quickly brought under control.
Six goals were scored in the first eight minutes, all during man-up situations. Radnicki converted all four of its extra player opportunities, while Novi Beograd managed to convert two out of three. Radnicki took an early lead of 2:0 and later 4:1, but Novi Beograd narrowed the gap to 2:4. In the second quarter, the hosts forced a penalty foul on their first possession. Radomir Drasovic scored from the 5-meter line, restoring a 3-goal lead at 5:3. Novi Beograd continued to fight back, making it 4:5 and then 5:6. However, midway through the quarter, Radnicki established a new 3-goal lead at 8:5. Soon after, the hosts extended their advantage to four goals, with Petar Jaksic scoring to make it 9:5. After Radnicki’s 4:0 series, Milos Cuk responded for Novi Beograd, making it 6:9. Radomir Drasovic closed out the first half with a goal during a double man-up situation, and Radnicki enjoyed a solid 10:6 lead at the halftime break.
The Regional League champions opened the second half with two goals – Vasic from a man-up and Drasovic from a penalty shot- and jumped to 12:6 in the 19th minute. But the contest was far from over. Novi Beograd, led by Milos Cuk, went on a 3:0 run and came very close (9:12). But, that goal wasn’t the end of the visitors’ series. After Novi Beograd’s goalkeeper Milan Glusac (who replaced De Michelis late into the first half) saved a penalty shot from Drasovic, Martinovic scored for 10:12. The visitors were back in the game. In the 23rd minute, the same player scored from a penalty for 11:12 to conclude Novi Beograd’s 5:0 run in the third period.
In the 25th minute, Lukic equalized from a penalty – 12:12. That was followed by a few missed attacks at both ends of the pool, Strahinja Rasovic ended Radnicki’s 10-minute goalless phase, scoring for 13:12 from a 6-on-5. Radnicki started recovering and converted another man-up – Nikola Jaksic scored for 14:12 with two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. Cuk scored his fifth goal in the game for 13:14 with 49 seconds left on the clock. Radnicki missed in its last possession, and Novi Beograd had a chance to equalize. However, Radnicki’s second goalkeeper, Todorovski, saved a shot from Lukic in the very last second. After that, the mentioned incident occurred. Fortunately, the situation calmed down quickly
2025 Serbian League Final, Match 3
Radnicki – Novi Beograd 14:13 (4:2, 6:4, 2:5, 2:2) – the final score in the series 2:1
Radnicki: Vasic 3, Drasovic 3, Dadvani 2, N.Jaksic 2, Murisic 1, Vapenski 1, P.Jaksic 1, Rasovic 1.
Novi Beograd: Cuk 5, Martinovic 3, Dimitrijevic 1, Trtovic 1, Vucinic 1, Gladovic 1, Lukic 1.
All champions (2007-2025): Partizan 10, Crvena Zvezda 2, Novi Beograd 2, Radnicki 2, Sabac 1.
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